International Women’s Day: Get to know the women of Little Wonderland

In honor of International Women’s Day we are highlighting some of the incredible women working behind the scenes here at Little Wonderland. Get to know four of the LW ladies who shared their intimate views on their own skin problems, the K-beauty they can’t live without and what improvements they hope to see within the beauty industry.

What skin problems have you struggled with the most these past few years?
I have dehydrated, combination skin that sometimes tends to form pimples and dry spots. In my teenage years I suffered a lot from pimples on my forehead, which also affected my self-confidence.

How has Korean skincare helped your skin?
When I started using Korean skincare, I was already well on my way with my skin! The moment I incorporated several Korean products into my routine, my skin really got the glow I was looking for and any impurities I had left almost disappeared.

How is skincare empowering for you as a woman?
Korean skin care often includes several steps and products, which means that I can take my time for the necessary self care. Not only do I feel that it improves my skin, but it also makes me feel better about myself.

What do you think can be improved within the skincare industry?
Nowadays you see that a lot of people strive for perfect skin. I think there should be more striving for realistic improvement of the skin, rather than perfection.

How can we, as a skincare company, help the fight against unrealistic beauty standards?
On our Instagram @littlewonderland_official we occasionally post messages about various skin conditions and what our customers use to optimally care for their skin. I hope that we convey that the ideal image is unrealistic and that improvement in relation to yourself is key.

What skin problems have you struggled with the most these past few years?
A once combination skin that turned into a dry skin that couldn't get enough of anything. Tight, reactive and easily breakable. I got this under control after a long time, but the road to it brought with it the necessary stress - to which my skin also reacted.

How has Korean skincare helped your skin?
A world opened up to me with a range of ingredients that I was not yet familiar with at the time. I was suddenly able to go in all directions and I was given the opportunity to stabilize my 'insecurities' in a compact routine without an endless amount of products.

How is skincare empowering for you as a woman?
By taking care of my skin with the products my skin loves, I notice that it also has a positive effect on my mental, physical and emotional well-being.

Are there any women that have inspired you throughout your skincare journey?
My grandmother! My mom used to tell me when I was younger that my grandmother always used the blue pot of Nivea and that's why her skin still looked so good. Who knows? I’d like to think that I am following in her footsteps but on my own terms, using Korean skincare instead of Nivea.

What do you think can be improved within the skincare industry?
"Unlabeling". In my opinion skincare products are for everyone no matter what you look like, how you identify yourself etc. It is for everyone and should be as inclusive as possible.

How can we, as a skincare company, help the fight against unrealistic beauty standards?
At Little Wonderland we know better than anyone that every skin is different and we are happy to contribute with our tailor-made advice. There is no such thing as one beauty standard, every skin is beautiful in its own way.

What skin problems have you struggled with the most these past few years?
My skin loses moisture quickly and is acne-prone. I also suffer from rosacea, especially on my cheeks, chin and between my eyebrows. In addition, I used to suffer a lot from acne, but fortunately that is completely under control thanks to a correct routine.

How has Korean skincare helped your skin?
As a beautician I was trained with Western ingredients and skincare knowledge. While there are many fine products out there, it didn't always do much good for my skin. From the moment I was introduced to Korean skincare I started seeing results. My acne and sebum production were under control, and the rosacea had calmed down for the first time in my life!

How is skincare empowering for you as a woman?
I used to have very troubled skin, and on top of that came the redness from rosacea, so all I wanted to do was hide my skin. I no longer went out without make-up on. Now that my skin looks good again, I like to show it off and leave my make-up at home more often. Thanks to Korean skincare I love to let my natural beauty shine again.

What do you think can be improved within the skincare industry?
I wish the beauty industry would be more inclusive and show more of the 'real' things. The beauty ideal today is based on many filters and photoshop, an unrealistic and unattainable image. How nice would it be if the models showcased make-up and skincare on a 'real' skin.

How can we, as a skincare company, help the fight against unrealistic beauty standards?
I notice that we at LW do our best to show the skin that is real, without photoshop and with skin problems that we all sometimes have. It is important that we continue to do this as a company, to create more transparency and to show everyone that all skin problems are normal.

What skin problems have you struggled with the most these past few years?
My skin always has a lot to say. I have dry skin, which is very dehydrated. It can never get enough water. I also have many allergies and new ones develop regularly. Because of this I am always trying out new products, and unfortunately had to give up many holy grails.

How has Korean skincare helped your skin?
I discovered Korean skincare through South Korean media. In the drama To The Beautiful You I saw the Etude House Moistfull Collagen set. The Etude House and Innisfree products ended up being the first I had tried and my skin was transformed! Every time I tried Western brands again I usually had a bad reaction, so I only stick to Korean skincare now.

How is skincare empowering for you as a woman?
Between the ages of 16 and 25 I had an awkward phase and I was looking for my own identity through clothing and cosmetics. Skincare played a big role here too. I was looking for myself as a woman in a society in which Middle Eastern standards and Western standards clashed quite a lot. I had to get to know my skin by making mistakes and learning what didn't work for me.

Are there any women that have inspired you throughout your skincare journey?
One of South Korea's most famous makeup artists is Jung Saemmool. From her I learned a lot about how you can accentuate your own beauty with good skincare, small changes and minimalist application, through skincare and make-up. It also taught me that I didn't necessarily have to go full glam or try viral trends to be elegant and feminine.

What do you think can be improved within the skincare industry?
One of the dark sides of the skincare industry is that production and research still happens at the expense of animals. An increasing number of brands have become cruelty free or vegan, but we are still far from done in my opinion. Many companies can be cruelty free, so why not all of them? The beauty industry can do without it, as many companies have already proven.

How can we, as a skincare company, help the fight against unrealistic beauty standards?
Beauty standards are very unrealistic. Especially on social media where everything is edited and filtered. People have gotten the idea that if your skin isn't even, it's not healthy. This is simply not true. Skin can be healthy, even with texture, wrinkles and color differences. That is why it is important that we as a company also show natural skin. Wrinkles, blemishes, pigmentation differences, stretch marks, scars and hair are all part of this.